TSF Equipment/Brazilian
As Brazil, much like the USA, is not a frontline nation by any stretch of the imagination, the equipment for their TSFs are almost entirely researched within their ground locally made - the only exceptions being early TSF armament used by the 1o Esquadrão de Caças de Superfície para Propósitos de Teste e Pesquisa “Pacau”. Benefitting from a large pool of manpower, talented engineers, technicians, researchers and last but not least, technical knowledge imparted upon them by captain Marisa Albernaz and , Brazilian TSF gear is noted for being very cost effective, reliable and easily adaptable to suit a variety of roles. While TSF research and development is mostly handled by EMBRAV, IMBEC focuses primarily in the development of assault cannons, support cannons and close-in weapons. Weapon systems WS-16Br The locally manufactured version of the WS-16 assault cannon. Used by the F-5Br - mainly for training purposes - upon the acquisition of 10 machines in early 1986. Aside of a slight alteration in the color and calibration of its targeting system, it’s otherwise identical to the WS-16. Phased out of use by 1993 in favor of the SABra-16MN. SABra-16MN Essentially a series of improvement to the WS-16Br that replaced its bulky and antiquated targeting system with an smaller and more efficient one manufactured by IMBEC, installed a flash hider/compensator onto the 36mm barrel’s muzzle and removed unnecessary bulk from the weapon’s stock - unlike the Type-82 used by the Chinese, it retains its accuracy at long distances and has almost perfect balance. The 120mm cannon received some changes to further make the weapon easier to handle when in close quarters combat. Initially issued only to the 1st ECS-PTP’s F-5Brs in 1992, though later became standard issue to all Brazilian TSF forces as a stopgap measure in case the PROCAN (Projeto - Canhão de Assalto Nacional; National Assault Cannon Project) development program couldn’t be completed by 1995. It’s rumoured that Marisa, then still largely unknown to the Brazilian public, directly assisted in the testing and evaluation of the improvements to the WS-16Br personally. SAMPU-CS With the PROCAN development program having ended with Nelmo Suzano’s proposal of a FA-03-based prototype design being selected for manufacture thanks to its noted lightweight, easy to produce nature, the SAMPU-CS became the standard use assault cannon for the Brazilian TSF forces by 1996. Despite its 36mm component boasting high rate of fire thanks to its revolver action, the weapon is renowned for being very accurate when used in single shots or very short bursts; while its 120mm component is significantly simpler in comparison to other similar designs and suffers from reduced range, it functions very well at the close ranges it’s intended to see use in - this would be solved by the SASP-CS support gun being used by rear guards in the coming year. The weapon also suffers from somewhat harsh recoil when fired in full auto for long bursts. SASP-CS Another design created by Nelmo Suzano, the SASP-CS is based on his Pentagun break-action revolving shotgun and properly upscaled for TSF use. At first initially chambered only for cased 120mm rounds (not to be confused with the caseless 120mm used in most TSF assault cannons), one of the features of this support gun is its easily replaceable cylinder and barrel, used to accommodate larger, powerful rounds that further enhance the weapon’s versatility by allowing it to function both as a direct fire pin-point precision weapon against high-value targets and as an indirect mortar-like saturation weapon. While this cannot be done when out in the field, replacing the barrel and cylindrical magazines takes as little as five minutes in-hangar. Despite having a very low ammo count of a meager seven cased 120mm rounds, 5 175mm rounds and 3 203mm rounds per cylinder, each shot made will usually be made to affect as much BETA as possible. Its targeting system is similar to that of the SAMPU-CS, being very rugged and accurate in general - an optical system meant for “sniping” allows the weapon has a direct fire range of 4.3KMs in its 120mm configuration. Produced in limited quantities since 1997. Close Combat Daggers CIWS-1ABr A locally-made version of the American CIWS-1A. No differences in regards to form or function in comparison to the original model. FCP-CS Quite possibly made just for the sake of showing foreigners how almost all Brazilian soldiers are fierce melee fighters adapted to fight within the varied terrain of their homeland, the FCP-CS is essentially little more than an oversized knife taking after the Onça Preta and Onça Dourada combat machetes used by soldiers partaking the CIGS survival course. While certainly a beautiful example of what a combat dagger aspires to be, it’s also an extremely hardy and resistant weapon that has taken down many grappler- and heavy laser-class BETA in a pinch. Typically issued only to high-prestige pilots as a sign of their prowess. In practice, it functions more as hatchet than a knife, and is jokingly referred to as the "fort-chopper" in light of its capabilities. Melee Weapons SAPE Taking cues from the unadopted XCIWS-2B that would be used by the YF-23 Blackwidow II thanks to a backroom deal with Northrock and McDaell Doglam, the SAPE is a very balanced sword produced since 1997 by IMBEC. Worthy of note is that the weapon’s balance is pitch perfect and thus enables it to be very versatile when engaging in combat with both BETA and TSF alike while also keeping very high user-friendliness - this is partly due to the fact that against a foe too close for comfort, even a rookie’s panicked hacking and slashing will have better chance of hitting than a wild spray of 36mm fire. In the hands of an experienced pilot who knows their way around melee-range combat, the SAPE is truly a force to be reckoned with. It’s theorized that much like the SABra-16MN and BLICOM, Marisa was the one behind a large part of testing and evaluation. Defenses and Countermeasures BLICOM-CS Starting its in 1988 life under IMBEC as a tower shield meant only to absorb 36mm fire from enemy TSFs, the BLICOM-CS was soon shelved due to its extremely heavy weight and unwieldiness in general until, EMBRAV went on to make it into a slightly smaller but still very heavy tower shield. Due to Marisa’s personal request and knowledge in using close combat weapons, EMBRAV decided to make the shield weigh as little as possible while still being serviceable to both absorb laser exposure and enemy fire. This resulted in vaguely coffin-shaped shield that bore some resemblance to the East German DS-3 Schurzen, down to the supercarbon blades at its sides and bottom and handle at the top. The BLICOM-CS can also be used as a shooting stand for TSFs by slamming it down on the ground and supporting one’s cannon on its top, though this does severely wear down the bottom blade. Colloquially referred to as the “caveirão” by Brazilian troops due to its very dark grey color scheme and role in battering, slashing or otherwise beating enemies to death while absorbing fire. Mass produced since 1995.